“All I want is peace while my son is being laid to rest,” he said at the rally. “Can you please, please, take a day of silence so we can lay our son to rest? Please. It’s all I ask.”

Brown’s funeral and burial will be at a Baptist church in St. Louis. Thousands of mourners are expected to turn out to honor the late 18-year-old, whose death at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson has sparked violent protests over the past few weeks.